SOIL EROSION MAPPING OF WATERSHED IN MIRZAPUR DISTRICT USING RUSLE MODEL IN GIS ENVIRONMENT
Soil erosion is one of the serious issues threatening the environment. It is a growing problem especially in areas of agricultural activity where soil erosion not only leads to de-creased agricultural productivity but also reduces water availability. This leads to drastic degradation of the agricultural lands. So there is a need to take up conservation and management measures which can be applied to check further soil erosion. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is the most popular empirically based model used globally for erosion prediction and control. Remote sensing and GIS techniques have become valuable tools for the digitization of the input data and genereation of maps. In the present study, RUSLE model has been adopted to estimate the soil erosion in the Khajuri watershed of Uttar Pradesh, India. This model involves calculation of parameters including runoff-rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodability Factor (K), topographic factor (LS), cropping management factor (C), and support practice factor (P). Layer wise thematic maps of each of these factors were generated using GIS platform using various data sources and data preparation methods. The results of the study indicate that the annual average soil loss within the watershed is about t/ha/yr (metric ton per hectare per year).